South Asia--India and Pakistan

These two countries have had a long and eventful history with each other. In 1947 when Britain withdrew itself from both India and Pakistan, the two countries declared their independence and thus began the inception of their rivalry. Ethnic tensions between Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs resulted in nearly one million deaths. The two countries, for over five decades, have been fighting over the contiguous land of Kashmir. In 1949, the United Nations established a cease-fire line, resulting in Pakistani control in one third of the region. This dispute has erupted into many wars, which still pose a large problem to the world today. Nuclear tests have been experimented in both countries and many are afraid that a nuclear war could explode between two of the most powerful nuclear countries in the world. However, recently in April 2006, both countries participated in nuclear talks with each other about reducing the risk of accidental war and nuclear accidents.